family be involved and will they be able to accept this style of wedding? Like the garments she creates, June is flexible. She’s designed everything from fully Afrocentric weddings, to weddings where the bride has worn a “Traditional” white gown for the ceremony and an Afrocentric dress for the reception. Her main concern is that her client will feel comfortable in the garment: “The beauty of the African style which involves draping and wrapping fabric, is that it gives the bride such freedom of movement,” says June.

Fashion designer Cookie Washington of Phenomenal Woman in Charleston, South Carolina agrees. “You need to feel comfortable because it is different,” she explains. “If a bride isn’t quite sure that she wants her ’costume’ to be so elaborate, she may opt for an African-inspired design -- a blending of African and European materials and cut. A little kente cloth goes a long way. Her groom may be in a traditional tuxedo with a kente cloth lapel, and the groomsmen with kente cummerbunds. Anything is possible on your day!”

With any dress you choose you need to have a number of fittings -- Afrocentric attire is no different. Cookie holds four sittings with her bride, June hold three. “The initial appointment is where the bride and the designer need to be clear about the dress and design. A bride may be saying she wants African, but after talking and sketching what she is really saying, she actually may want European with a touch of African,” says Cookie.

Both June and Cookie urge brides to “get clear” on the dress -- the intimate details and the overall design. Photos and sketches work wonders when talking with designers.

At the second fitting every designer or bridal salon should insist that you bring the accessories you will be wearing on your wedding day: best fitting undergarments, pantyhose, shoes, and jewelry. “This is critical,” says Cookie, “because it is here where the fine-tuning begins. If a bride shows up at this fitting without the right bra, or with the wrong size shoe, it can throw off the entire look of the dress. She won’t be happy, I won’t be happy. It’s a waste of time for both of us.”

The third and fourth fittings are no different. Each time you go for a fitting you must take along the necessary props. After all, you want to look beautiful on your special day.

Headpieces
Most of the Afrocentric headgear June Terry creates is based on the gele, or head wrap, worn in many African cultures. Depending on the shape of the face and the desired height, she uses from 3 to 10 yards of fabric that matches the dress to make the wrap. She often attaches from 5 to 10 yards of tulle as an African adaptation of the “Traditional” veil. For the most height and the most regal effect, she sometimes stuffs tulle inside the gele as well.